JoinAll Resources
Book Chapter
Judging Projects: Checking for Quality
It’s not easy to judge projects. Every project is different and must be judged on its own merits. Some projects are straightforward, while others are demanding. This chapter asks that students be the judge by carefully reading the actual accounts ...
Book Chapter
Generating Ideas for Projects: Ideas From Previous Science Fairs
This chapter shares a list of titles of projects at a national science fair to give students some indication of the range of topics. A good way to explore a topic is to discuss it with a friend. When exploring a topic, remember it’s okay to choose...
Book Chapter
It’s not easy to tell what science fairs and science projects are all about. The best way to find out is to do a project and take it to a science fair. This chapter provides “starting points” for projects and these “starting points” have be...
Book Chapter
An Overview of the Nature of Scientific Inquiry: What Do Scientists Do?
This chapter explores the question, “What do scientists do?” A good way to find out what scientists do is to try being a scientist. The chapter presents a challenge to students with an exercise on falling objects. It isn’t easy to make sense of...
Book Chapter
Science Without Numbers: Looking for Similarities and Differences
This chapter presents the task of students finding out all they can about the soil by looking for similarities and differences. This task allows students to experience a little of the difficulty and puzzlement the early chemists faced centuries ago a...
Book Chapter
Variables and Their Controls: Finding Out How Much It Matters
In this chapter, students are asked to be a ramp design consultant and to devise a test rig using a toy racetrack and a ball. They need to determine the best angle for the ramp and think about what makes a fair test. The angle could be difficult to ...
Book Chapter
Experiment Design: Designing Good Apparatus
This chapter presents the task of judging bubble solutions to see which makes the biggest bubbles and the longest-lasting bubbles. Students design and carry out a scientific experiment to decide which bubble solution is better. This is a real challe...
Book Chapter
Sources of Error: Searching for Errors
This chapter investigates suffocating candles and how long a candle stays lit in jars of different sizes. The students’ task is to try to find out what the uncontrolled variable is and how to control the variable, while using their knowledge and ex...
Book Chapter
Making Sense of Your Results: Graphing Your Data
This chapter features two projects—one on the science of table tennis and one on exploring the best way to stop needles from falling off Christmas trees. The focus is on “graphing the data,” and the decisions that need to be made, such as bar ...
Book Chapter
Explanations: Getting Explanations That Fit
This chapter deals with “getting explanations that fit.” When scientists do experiments, they try to explain their findings by connecting the results to what they already know. When they encounter a new happening—or phenomena—they try to fit ...
Book Chapter
Sharing Your Findings: Writing Your Report
After scientists have done an experiment or a series of experiments, they usually take time to write their reports. This not only gives them a chance to get their thinking together but also—and even more important—enables them to share their wor...
Book Chapter
Judging Projects: Suggesting Improvements
This chapter focuses on “suggesting improvements.” When a scientist sends a report of an investigation to a journal for publication, the editor consults experts on whether the investigation was done well and if the findings are valuable. The expe...
Book Chapter
Generating Ideas for Projects: Ideas All Around You
Some of the best science fair projects can be found right in the world around you. These projects are found when you start looking at cooking, gardening, and TV commercials from a scientist’s perspective. The best way for brainstorming ideas is to...
Book Chapter
Science fair projects are about real problems that you choose to explore. The problems are challenging and fun. The best way to find out what science fair projects are all about is to do a project and take it to a science fair. This chapter provides ...
Book Chapter
The wing of a bat, the bone in your leg, the stem of a plant—all have elegant, elaborate structures. Scientists would like to understand how and why these structures developed and engineers are also concerned with developing an understanding of str...
Book Chapter
Science Without Numbers: Searching for Patterns
Searching for patterns is often the very beginning of sense making. We do it all the time. Scientists try to find patterns in their observations, then understand how these patterns are connected. For example, the way you go about cracking a code is s...
Book Chapter
The Numbers Game: Designing Your Own Measures
Have you ever wondered how people managed before the ruler and the clock were invented? Today, scientists use the metric system of measurement—one based on the meter, kilogram, and second. It is a decimal system. To measure length, normally a ruler...
Book Chapter
Experiment Design: Preparing Experimental Designs
This chapter focuses on turning cooking into a science. A cookie recipe is shared with students along with a list of questions to consider. Students are also invited to develop the recipe. If scientists were given a recipe to develop, they would t...
Book Chapter
Sources of Error: Sampling: An Introduction
Sampling is a technical matter—it has to be planned carefully. The accuracy and reliability of the results are calculated using statistics. For example, the connection between high salt consumption and high blood pressure was established using stat...
Book Chapter
Making Sense of Your Results: Interpreting Graphs
Graphs can tell a story and are like a silent interpreter. They give meaning to numbers and turn numbers into pictures, but words still need to be input. This chapter presents the case of the bean seed planted in a glass jar so that growth is visible...
Book Chapter
Explanations: Deepening Your Understanding: Analogies and Models
This chapter highlights the project—“The Right Nail for the Right Job”—and extends the understanding of the behavior of wood and nails. Scientists often use analogies to extend their understanding. Analogies help to “see” things in an ext...
Book Chapter
Sharing Your Findings: Talking About Your Project
After finishing investigations or experiments, scientists frequently present their findings at a conference. If their presentations are well received, scientists are then encouraged to send the papers to scientific journals for publication so they ca...
Book Chapter
Judging Projects: Making Judgments
Scientists often put themselves in other scientists’ shoes to make judgments by saying “if I had been doing that piece of research, what would I have done?” Making judgments involves making such comparisons. In this way, scientists learn from o...
Book Chapter
Generating Ideas for Projects: Ideas From the Scientific Literature
Scientists keep in touch with one another by writing about their experiments in journals. These are the original sources of information that spread quickly to others through science magazines, newspaper reports, and television programs. Information i...
eBook
Becoming a Responsive Science Teacher: Focusing on Student Thinking in Secondary Science (e-book)
"No one would find it strange to see a geologist poring at length over a single rock, or an entomologist over a moth, or botanist over a leaf. Examining a specimen closely can help scientists develop new understandings. That’s just what we hope to ...
eBook
Science by Design … Construct a Boat, Catapult, Glove, and Greenhouse (e-book)
Launch a new generation of students into catapult- and boat-building—plus glove- and greenhouse-making—with this newly refreshed resource. Four sets of well-loved activities have been repackaged in one convenient volume that seamlessly combines h...
NSTA Press Book
Becoming a Responsive Science Teacher: Focusing on Student Thinking in Secondary Science
“No one would find it strange to see a geologist poring at length over a single rock, or an entomologist over a moth, or botanist over a leaf. Examining a specimen closely can help scientists develop new understandings. That’s just what we hope t...
By Daniel Levin, David Hammer, Andrew Elby, Janet Coffey
NSTA Press Book
Science Fair Warm-Up, Grades 7–10: Learning the Practice of Scientists
To the teacher: Although this book is intended as a guide for your students, NSTA has you covered as well! Science Fair Warm-Up, Teachers Guide: Learning the Practice of Scientists provides all of the information you need to guide your students t...
By John Haysom
NSTA Press Book
Science Fair Warm-Up, Grades 8–12: Learning the Practice of Scientists
To the teacher: Although this book is intended as a guide for your students, NSTA has you covered as well! Science Fair Warm-Up, Teachers Guide: Learning the Practice of Scientists provides all of the information you need to guide your students t...
By John Haysom
Book Chapter
Plant Biomass (Photosynthesis)
The purpose of this activity is to help students understand the synthesis and source of plant biomass, as well as the process of photosynthesis. This activity also helps students learn how to engage in practices such as using planning and carrying ou...
Journal Article
Exploring the Science Framework
Engaging learners in scientific practices related to obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information....
Journal Article
Methods and Strategies: Interactive Technology Strategies
This column provides ideas and techniques to enhance your science teaching. This month’s issue describes how to nuture the language of science among English language learners....
Journal Article
Editor's Note: The Importance of Visual Literacy
Science and Children’s editor shares thoughts regarding the current issue....
Journal Article
Fostering Science Education in an Online Environment: Are We There Yet?
This article describes how science and science education faculty at the University of Massachusetts and veteran K–12 science teachers designed Science Education Online—an online, graduate-level program for elementary and middle school science tea...
Journal Article
Point of View: A Plea to My Physics and Physical Science Colleagues
This column shares reflections or thoughtful opinions on issues of broad interest to the community. In this month’s issue the author discusses developing introductory physical science courses tailored to the needs of future elementary school teache...
Journal Article
The Journal of College Science Teaching’s editor shares thoughts regarding the current issue....
Journal Article
Tried and True: Environmental Decision Making in Our Backyard
This column provides classic demonstrations and experiments with a new twist. In this month’s issue the authors share how students take part in a simulation activity and read news articles to analyze and evaluate the risks and benefits of their act...
Journal Article
Learn how the practices of the Next Generation Science Standards promote scientific literacy....
Journal Article
Exploring the Science Framework
Learn how the practices of the Next Generation Science Standards promote scientific literacy....
Journal Article
Guest Editorial: Visual Literacy, the Must-Have Skill for the 21st-Century Learner
An opinion piece about visual literacy....